How To Draw Bullet Journal & Doodle Note Accents – Part 1 of 2

Today I wanted to add a quick tutorial for doodling a few of my favorite bullet journal style accents. I primarily use these in doodle notes in the classroom- to draw attention to key concepts or just to fill empty space to create a visually balanced page of notes.

Initially I sketched these step by step on one page, you can download this one-page tutorial as a printable PDF by clicking the image below:

And here’s the play by play:

LIGHT BULBS: I like to draw lightbulbs to illustrate key concepts or where in the notes something “clicked” for me. Plus, they are just fun to doodle- Just draw a balloon, add a little stack of pancakes and you are halfway there. 😉 Long, skinny, fat, squatty, they all turn out pretty charming and look great colored yellow or uncolored.

2. BLUE RIBBONS: Used in my doodle notes to denote a really good idea, I like drawing award ribbons a lot. If I’m bored, adding shading to the ribbon lets me play a bit while still (mostly) paying attention.

3. PUSH PINS – Mostly a filler doodle to occupy blank space for me, occasionally in my doodle notes I use the pushpin to denote a good idea worth remembering- or a place in my notes that I need to come back to and study.

4. NOTEBOOK or CALENDAR – Perfect for serving as a visual reminder to help remember dates or key information. Bonus: I like that this doodle of a spiral bound calendar can be done sideways for a notebook effect. Also, the design begins with a basic square- meaning as a lecture is progressing I can draw a simple box around vital data and then come back a few minutes later and add the embellishment to turn the square into a spiral bound booklet.

5. BOOK or TEXTBOOK- Like the spiral notebook, this icon is extra handy for headlines and setting apart important information.

Raised as a feral child in the 1980's craft-show scene, I love all things art and DIY. In 2015 I transitioned from a career in retail/tech to full time grad school- accidentally becoming an illustrator, writer, and sometimes speaker somewhere along the way.

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